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*Government plans to form Police Complaints Authority* * *http://www.hindu.com/2006/12/14/stories/2006121404300400.htm Special Correspondent *To go on appeal against Supreme Court directive on Security Commission * ------------------------------ * To bifurcate police into separate wings for investigation and maintenance of law and order Order for bifurcation to be issued this month * ------------------------------ THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Government proposes to set up a Police Complaints Authority to consider complaints from public against the police and complaints of police personnel over service matters, Home Minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan said here on Wednesday. He said the Government also proposed to bifurcate the police force into separate wings for crime investigation and maintenance of law and order, starting with the cities of Thiruvananthapuram, Kozhikode and Kochi this month. Orders for this would be issued this month itself. On the basis of the experience in the three cities, the bifurcation would be effected in other areas also. Mr. Balakrishnan said these measures were being taken on the basis of the guidelines issued by the Supreme Court. However, the Court's directives on formation of the State Police Security Commission and transfer of police officials were not acceptable to the Government. The Court proposed that the police should be brought under the Commission. If that were done, the Government would lose control over the force while it would be answerable to the people over the functioning of the police. The other directive was that a police official should be in a post for at least two years. This would prevent shifting of policemen for administrative reasons or on the ground of dereliction of duty. All States, the Minister said, were opposed to the directives. Kerala proposed to file a revision petition before the Court citing its objections along with West Bengal and Tripura. If other States were willing, filing of a joint petition would be considered. He said the Government planned to amend the Kerala Police Act on the basis of the recommendations of the Sukumaran Nair Commission. The report of the Commission was expected next month and a Bill to amendment the Act would be brought in the next session of the Assembly. The Government had requested the Centre to sanction a battalion of Indian Reserve Police to be based in Kerala. Kerala would be able to make use of the 1,000 men in the battalion when the Centre did not want them. About 30 per cent of them would get special training in dealing with extremists, and the Centre would foot the bill for the maintenance of the battalion. He said the policemen on treasury duty would be withdrawn from the treasuries as money was no more being kept in the treasuries. The Government had sought Central clearance for amending the Criminal Procedure Code for the extension of remand of prisoners through video conferencing (connecting the jail and the court room). These measures would free the services of many policemen who could be deployed elsewhere. *~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "Ours is a battle not for wealth or for power. It is a battle for freedom. It is a battle for the reclamation of human personality." - Dr BR Ambedkar ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ * --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ greenyouth mailinglist is the activist support mailinglist for kerala run by Global Alternate Information Applications (GAIA) To post to this group, send email to [email protected] -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
